TL;DR: BS Aeronautical Engineering is governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 93, series of 2017. Yes, there is a PRC board exam - Aeronautical Engineering is one of the Professional Regulation Commission's 46 Professional Regulatory Boards, regulated by Presidential Decree No. 1570 of 1978, with the first Board constituted in 1982 and the first licensure examination held in July 1983. The Board's published exam programme weights Aerodynamics at 25 per cent, Aircraft Structures and Design and Aircraft Power Plant at 20 per cent each, Aircraft Construction, Repair and Modification at 15 per cent, and Mathematics and Engineering Economics/Laws/Ethics at 10 per cent each. Note: CMO 93 states two different unit totals in the same document - 168 in its narrative and 174 in its summary table - so verify with your school. The PRC engineer licence is not the same as a CAAP aircraft maintenance licence.
Aeronautical engineering is a small, licensed field with a lot of adjacent job titles that are not it. Before you commit four years, it is worth being clear about which credential the degree actually leads to, what CHED requires along the way, and where the field's own founding documents are inconsistent.
Which CHED order prescribes BS Aeronautical Engineering?
CHED Memorandum Order No. 93, series of 2017 - "Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering (BSAeE) Program Effective Academic Year (AY) 2018-2019." Like the rest of the 2017 engineering batch it implements outcomes-based education under CMO 46, s. 2012 and CMO 37, s. 2012.
CMO 93 defines the field as a profession that "applies the basic principles of science in conjunction with mathematical and advanced computational tools and equipment that will ensure safety in air transportation," and names four areas of specialisation: research and development; design and manufacture; aircraft maintenance and operation; and education and training.
For faculty-qualification purposes it lists these as allied programmes: mechanical engineering, mechatronics engineering, electronics and communications engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and information technology, management engineering, industrial engineering, and other aviation-related programmes.
Is there a PRC board exam?
Yes. Aeronautical Engineering is one of the 46 Professional Regulatory Boards listed by the Professional Regulation Commission. The governing law is Presidential Decree No. 1570, enacted 11 June 1978, which regulates the practice of aeronautical engineering in the Philippines. PRC's own account of the Board records that the first Board of Aeronautical Engineering was constituted on 6 April 1982 and conducted its first licensure examination in July 1983.
CMO 93 refers to PD 1570 directly when it sets out the scope of practice and the career options open to graduates, and one of the programme outcomes it requires is that graduates can "explain the importance of professional licensure."
What the exam covers
The Board of Aeronautical Engineering's published examination programme divides the exam into six subjects:
| Subject | Weight | Coverage as published |
|---|---|---|
| Aerodynamics | 25% | Fundamentals of low- and high-speed aerodynamics; application to fixed and rotary wing aircraft configurations, performance, stability and control; wind tunnels and applications |
| Aircraft Structures and Design | 20% | Aircraft design fundamentals; structural loading conditions; structural analysis and design of airframe components; landing gears, engine mounts and other structural parts; non-structural components design |
| Aircraft Power Plant | 20% | Thermodynamics and power plant design and operation fundamentals applied to reciprocating engines, aircraft gas turbines, pulsejet and ramjet, rocket propulsion and other aircraft power systems |
| Aircraft Construction, Repair and Modification | 15% | Aircraft materials and processes; repair and modification methods in accordance with civil airworthiness regulations; manufacturing and production processes and quality assurance |
| Mathematics | 10% | Algebra, trigonometry, analytical geometry, calculus and differential equations with aeronautical engineering applications |
| Engineering Economics and Management, Laws and Ethics | 10% | Economics and management applied to the aviation industry; laws, rules and regulations governing aeronautical engineering practice including PD 1570 and the Board's code of professional ethics; international aviation laws |
PRC publishes the programme for each administration, including the Special Professional Licensure Examinations held abroad for overseas Filipino professionals. Check the version for the sitting you are taking. We do not publish next-cycle dates here; PRC issues the annual schedule of licensure examinations by resolution.
Our overview of PRC board exam requirements covers the documentary side of a first-time application.
The engineer licence is not a CAAP maintenance licence
This is the most common confusion in Philippine aviation careers, and it costs people time.
- The PRC issues the aeronautical engineer licence under PD 1570. It is a professional engineering licence covering design, analysis and the engineering side of airworthiness.
- The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) separately issues maintenance personnel licences under its own personnel licensing rules, with published skill test standards for the Aircraft Maintenance Technician and the Aviation Maintenance Specialist (avionics rating).
They come from different regulators under different legal frameworks, and one does not substitute for the other. If your goal is hands-on line or base maintenance signing authority, the CAAP route is the relevant one; if it is aircraft or systems design and engineering analysis, the PRC route is. Some people end up holding both. Decide which you are aiming at before you pick a school, because the training routes differ.
If flying itself is the goal rather than engineering, that is a third path again - see our note on the strand for pilot for how that pipeline starts.
The unit figures, and where CMO 93 contradicts itself
We are flagging this rather than smoothing it over, because both numbers appear in the same memorandum.
CMO 93's narrative curriculum description (Section 10) states: "The curriculum has a minimum total of 168 credit units, comprising of 127 units of Technical Courses. These technical courses include 15 units of mathematics, 8 units of natural/physical sciences, 25 units of basic engineering sciences, 12 units of allied courses, 61 units of professional courses, 3 units Elective, and 3 units OJT." It then describes 33 units of general education (21 core, 9 electives, 3 Rizal), plus 8 units of PE and 6 units of NSTP.
CMO 93's own summary table gives:
| Classification | Units |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 |
| Natural and physical sciences | 8 |
| Basic engineering sciences | 28 |
| Allied courses | 9 |
| Professional courses | 61 |
| Electives | 3 |
| OJT (internship) | 3 |
| Total technical courses | 124 |
| Required general education courses | 24 |
| General education electives | 9 |
| Mandated course (Rizal) | 3 |
| Physical education | 8 |
| National Service Training Program | 6 |
| Total non-technical | 50 |
| Grand total | 174 |
The two do not reconcile: the narrative's own components sum to 174, not 168, and its block-level figures for mathematics, basic engineering sciences, allied courses and general education differ from the table's. The one figure both agree on is 61 units of professional courses.
What to do with that: ask your target school for the CHED-approved curriculum it actually implements, with the unit total on it. Under an outcomes-based PSG, schools submit their own curricula for approval anyway, so the school's approved document is the operative one for you.
The professional courses CMO 93 names
Sixty-one units, and the course list is specific to aircraft:
- Aerodynamics 1 and Aerodynamics 2
- Aircraft Structures 1 and Aircraft Structures 2
- Powerplant 1 and Powerplant 2
- Aircraft Systems
- Aircraft Materials, Construction and Repair
- Aircraft Design 1 and Aircraft Design 2
- Basic Helicopter and Propeller Design
- Unmanned Aerial System Design
- Aerodrome Engineering and Management
- Aeronautical Laboratory 1 and Aeronautical Laboratory 2
- Aircraft Production, Maintenance, Planning and Control
- Reliability Engineering
- Air Transport Economics and Management
- Civil Air Laws and Regulations
- Research Methods and Applications
Two things stand out. Unmanned Aerial System Design appearing as a required course in a 2017 memorandum is early, and it has aged well - drone survey, inspection and delivery work has grown into a genuine employment channel. And Civil Air Laws and Regulations plus Aerodrome Engineering and Management point at the regulatory and airport-side roles that absorb a good share of graduates.
The suggested technical electives include Rocket Propulsion System, Project Feasibility Study, and aviation business laws and contracts. The OJT course is titled Aeronautical Engineering Practice and carries 3 units.
Supporting those are the basic engineering sciences - Engineering Drawing, Computer Fundamentals and Programming, Computer-Aided Drafting and Design 1 and 2, Statics of Rigid Bodies, Dynamics of Rigid Bodies, Engineering Management, Environmental Science, Strategic Operation and Supply Chain Management, Technopreneurship 101 - and an allied block including Elementary Electrical Engineering (AC/DC) and Thermodynamics.
What aeronautical engineers do
CMO 93 lists twenty career options directly, drawn from PD 1570's scope of practice and the current aviation industry: aircraft research and development engineer; aircraft structural engineer; aircraft design engineer; aircraft powerplant engineer; aircraft manufacturing engineer; aircraft safety engineer; aircraft maintenance engineer; aircraft operation and performance engineer; aircraft reliability engineer; aircraft maintenance and production planning engineer; aircraft interior engineer; aircraft systems engineer; aircraft tooling engineer; aviation quality control and assurance engineer; aviation regulatory compliance engineer; aircraft weight and balance engineer; airworthiness engineer; aviation consultant; aeronautical engineering educator; and aviation entrepreneur.
Read that list against the Philippine market honestly. The country has limited aircraft manufacturing, so design and R&D roles domestically are few. What it does have is a substantial maintenance, repair and overhaul sector, airline engineering and technical services departments, aviation regulation and airport engineering, aerospace parts manufacturing in economic zones, defence and government aviation, and a growing unmanned systems niche. Overseas employment in MRO and airline engineering is a well-worn route.
What the wage data does and does not say
PSA's 2024 Occupational Wages Survey does not publish a wage line for aeronautical engineers. What it does publish for the air transport industry is striking:
| Occupation and industry (PSA, 2024) | Average monthly wage |
|---|---|
| Aircraft pilots and related associate professionals, air transport | ₱137,999 |
| Air traffic safety electronics technicians, air transport | ₱131,536 |
| National average, all occupations | ₱21,544 |
Those were the two highest-paid occupation-industry pairings in the whole survey. They are also not aeronautical engineers. Pilots are trained through flying schools and licensed by CAAP; air traffic safety electronics technicians are a separate technical occupation. Treat the figures as evidence that aviation is a well-paid sector, not as a salary expectation for this degree.
Disclaimer: PSA figures are survey averages for specific occupation-industry pairings, not guaranteed pay for any individual graduate.
What BS Aeronautical Engineering costs
There is no national tuition figure, and we will not invent one. The programme is offered by a relatively small number of institutions, mostly private and mostly aviation-focused, and each publishes its own rates each academic year.
What is worth asking about specifically: laboratory fees for the two Aeronautical Laboratory courses, any wind tunnel or simulation facilities, CAD software access, and whether the OJT placement carries costs. If the school also offers CAAP-approved maintenance training, ask whether that is bundled or separate, since it is a different credential with its own fees.
Questions worth asking before you enrol
- What is the school's CHED-approved unit total? CMO 93's own two figures disagree, so the school's document is what counts.
- Is the programme's laboratory equipment real? Aeronautical Laboratory 1 and 2 need more than a classroom.
- How many required OJT hours, and who arranges the placement? CMO 93 credits it at 3 units without fixing a national hour count.
- What is the school's recent licensure exam performance? In a licensed field this is the outcome measure.
- Does the school have MRO or airline partnerships? In a country without aircraft manufacturing, industry links determine where OJT and first jobs come from.
If you are still choosing a senior high school track, see our guide to the right strand for engineering. For a view of which fields are gated by a licence and which are not, our list of courses with board exams lays it out, and for school shortlisting start with the best engineering schools in the Philippines.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare programmes across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 93, s. 2017 - Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the BS Aeronautical Engineering Program (CHED, PDF)
- CHED - 2017 CHED Memorandum Orders index
- Professional Regulation Commission - List of Professional Regulatory Boards
- Professional Regulation Commission - Board of Aeronautical Engineering profile
- Professional Regulation Commission - Program of the Special Professional Licensure Examination for Aeronautical Engineers, May 2026 (PDF)
- Presidential Decree No. 1570, s. 1978 - Official Gazette
- Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines - AC 02 Personnel Licensing advisory circulars
- BusinessMirror - PSA data: industry wages show 3-fold gap in 2024 (2024 Occupational Wages Survey figures)
- PhilSTAR Life - Highest-paying jobs in the PH and their average monthly wages, per PSA
